Christmas is my favorite time of year (cliche, I know); the reasons for this joy have changed over the years as I’ve grown up and come to realize what is really important in this life I’ve been blessed to live. It was once about getting gifts. Then it was about getting the perfect gifts for others. Last year my husband was unemployed and we opted out of gifts altogether, a choice which opened my eyes and heart in a new way. Perhaps I’d lost sight, or never had it in the first place, of the TRUE meaning of Christmas. A savior was born with the full intention of dying as the ultimate sacrifice for a lost world that continually turns its back on Him.
Now that is LOVE!
So it is with this in mind that I go forward. Christmas is about salvation… for everyone.
Some time back I prayed that God would “break my heart for what breaks [His],” and he’s been doing it over and over again. The further I research human trafficking as I get ready to run another 200 mile relay with some friends to help fight this atrocity, the more my heart breaks, and the angrier I become that more people aren’t doing anything to stop it. Doesn’t anyone care? There are 27 million people around the world right now who need SALVATION from slavery. Many are children, and for them my heart breaks the most. We are to stand up for the orphans, the widows, the poverty-stricken…and those who cannot stand up for themselves.
I’ve recently become frustrated. As our race comes closer (Ragnar Relay FL Keys, Jan 6-7), our fundraising meter continues to stay at about 12-13% of our goal. I guess it’s a bad time of year to ask for donations. Money is tight for many these days and their families are the priority for Christmas spending. I get that, but just wish everyone could set aside just a tiny bit to give these children the gift of freedom, even donating in the name of a loved one perhaps. I think the problem is that Christmas has become so commercialized that many have forgotten that SALVATION and SACRIFICE are the true meaning of this beautiful holiday. It’s sad.
I have little money to give (right now anyway), so I understand that side of the issue. But there is hope. Though little money has come in yet for our cause (Love 146), we’ve managed to get the word out about human trafficking, and creating awareness is the first step. When people find out about this race and why I’m running it, I get a chance to answer a lot of questions. Maybe when people do have money again, they will remember the 27 million slaves and help us free them, just as Jesus came to free us from our bondage. I’d love to do more… like hold each of those little children suffering at the hands of sick child molesters, and tell them that no matter what has happened in their lives, God loves them, and so do I. But until then, I will continue to spread awareness and work towards a human trafficking jam (abolishing slavery) in the only ways I can.
Several years ago, Jewel put out a Christmas album, and her song “Hands” was on it. It isn’t a traditional Christmas song, but it seems to capture what I believe God wants us to understand about Christmas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk0bKfC8XSE
If you are interested in giving to our cause:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/robert-harper/love146rr
caverns of my mind 